Merry-go-round.



J. A. SHERRY. MERRY-G0-ROUND. APPLIUATION FILED AUG. 6. 1909.

Patented 1360.6,1'910 5 Cty,

. Patented Dec. 6, 1910.

acharne/13o J. A. SHERRY. MERRY-GO-RUUND. APPLIoATIoN FILED AUG. 6. 1909.

JAMES A. SHERRY, OF FALL RIVER, MASSACHUSETTS.

MERRY-GO-ROUND.

To all 'whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, JAMES A. SHERRY, a subject of the King of England, residing at Fall River, in the county of Bristol and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Merry-Go-Round, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to merry-go-rounds and has for its object to provide an apparatus for the amusement of children which may be readily set up for use either indoors or outdoors and which when not in use may be readily disassembled` and the parts folded so as to occupy a small space and thereby facilitate the storage of the apparatus.

The invention also has for its object the provision of simple and eflicientmeans whereby the apparatus may be operated by the users of the same.

These objects and such other incidental objects as will hereinafter appear are attained by the use of the apparatus illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and

the invention consists in certain novel features of the same as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a merry-go-round embodying my invention and set up for use. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of one side of the apparatus. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the base portion folded for storage or transportation. Fig. t is a perspective view of one arm of the device, and Fig. 5 is a detail end view partly broken away.

In carrying out my invention I employ a plurality of supporting arms 1, the inner ends of which are pivotally mounted upon a base plate 2 from the center of which rises a standard or post 3, as clearly shown. The arms 1 are pivoted to the base plate 2 so as to extend therefrom tangentially to the post 3 when the device is set up for use, and each of the said arms has its inner end fitted on a pivot pin or post l secured in the base plate 2 and rising therefrom and having its upper end secured to a head plate 5 on the upper side of which is formed an annular series of cog teeth G whereby the said head plate will serve as a master wheel to impart rotary motion t-o the upper portion of the apparatus. Extending between the upper end of the pivot pin or post A1 and the outer end of the arm 1 is a brace 7 whereby collapse of the device is prevented and the master wheel Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led August 6, 1909.

ratenteanec. e, 191e..

Serial No. 511,606.

5 is supported in a horizontal position without unnecessary strain on the central post or standard 3. Two of the supporting arms are pivoted to the base plate 2 and the plate or master wheel 5 close together, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3, so that when the device is folded the said arms may be brought together and the remaining arms which are pivoted at a greater distance apart then swung around so as to lie close against the outer sides of the closely mounted arms whereby the supporting portion of the structure will be folded into a very compact form, as illustrated in Fig. 3. In order to prevent spreading of the supporting structure when the device is set up for use I employ a cable or other flexible connection 8, one end of which is secured to any one of the supporting arms and is then carried around through suitable guides 9 on the under side of each of the arms and brought back to the arm to which it is secured, the free end of said flexible connection being provided with a stake or pin 10 which may be fitted into any one of a series of sockets 11 formed 'in the said supporting arm whereby the connection will be drawn taut and the desired rigidity imparted to the device.

The central post or standard 3 projects a considerable distance above the head plate or master wheel 5 and the swinging passenger-carrying arms 12 are supported at their inner ends upon a turn table or disk 13 which is provided with a depending collar or hub 14 adapted to lit over the post or standard 3 and be rotatably supported upon a wear plate 15 tted upon a hub of the head plate or master wheel 5, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. These arms 12 have secured to an intermediate portion of their lengths a brace bar 16 which extends upward and inward therefrom and has its upper end arranged vertically over the inner end of the supporting arm 12, as clearly shown, links or connecting plates 17 being secured to the arms 12 and the brace bars, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 4t, near the inner ends of the same so as to provide a very rigid structure. Attaching pins 18 are inserted through the inner ends of the arms 12 and the brace bars 16 and through registering perforations in the turn table or disk 13 and a similar perforation in an upper disk 19, which is rigidly connected with and spaced from the turn table 13 by posts 2O so that the passenger-carrying arms will be firmly supported upon the central post or standard, the said upper disk 1f) being fitted over the upper end of the said post or standard and being adapted to rotate around the same, as will be readily understood. In order to prevent the arms rising from the post and to impart an ornamental finish to the device, a plug 21 is fitted tightly in the upper end of the post 3 and is given an ornamental appearance. In order to further lock the passenger-carrying arms to the turn table, latches are pivoted to the sides of the arms 12 and are carried inward to the disk 13 and have their` ends turned downward so as to engage suitable openings in the said disk, as will be readily understood on reference to Fig. 1.

The passengers are carried in suitable seats at the outer ends of the arms 12 and these seats may be given any desired form and may be of any suitable construction. In the drawings I have shown two of the seats 28 and 2d as being ordinary platform seats supported upon suitable brackets 25, se cured to the arm 12, and a brace 2G secured to the under side of the seat and to a stand ard or post- 27 depending from the said arm, a brace bar 2S being secured to the said depending standard 27 .and to the arm 12 and the brace bar 16 so as to provide the necessary strong support. A foot. rest 29 extends from the supporting arm in front of the seat and the said footrest consists of beams 30 and cross bars 31, secured to and extending between the said beams, and brackets 32 secured to the supporting arm and to the foot rest so as to suspend the foot rest from the arm, as clearly shown. In Fig. 1, I have shown `the foot `rest at one side of the apparatus as being composed of uninterrupted or continuous cross bars 3l while the diametrically opposite foot rest is provided with a slot or opening formed by means .of sills 33 secured upon the cross bars 31 at opposite sides of an opening formed in one of the said cross bars, and an operating lever 34 is pivoted between the said sills and .extending up in front of the seat, as clearly shown and as illustrated on a larger scale in Fig. 4. This operating level' is provided at its upper end with a cross bar or handle 35 which may be conveniently grasped by the occupant of the seat and its lower end is .pivoted to the front end of a link or connecting bar 36, the rear end of which is pivoted to a crank 37 mounted. at the outer end of a shaft 38, the inner end of which carries a pinion 39 meshing with the cogs on the head plate or master wheel 5, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The shaft 38 is journaled in rthe depending post or standard 27 and in a suitable bearing l0 near `the inner end of the supporting arm 12, and will, of course, be rotated through the connections described when the occupant of the seat A3 oscillates the operating lever 311, as will be readily understood. In order to prevent breakage of the cogs of the master wheel 5 or the pinion 39, should the child suddenly stop the oscillation of the operating lever, I do not connect the link 36 to a rigid crank on the end of the shaft, but employ a connection which will permit lost motion when the movements of' the lever are arrested so that the momentum of the apparatus may carry it around without any liability 0f binding and breaking of the cogs. 0n the Outer end of the shaft 38 I provide ratchet teeth 41 and at the sides of the said ratchet teeth I pivotally vmount on the shaft crank plates 42, to the lower end of which the link 3G is pivotally attached. A pawl t3 is pivoted to and between the plates 42 and engages the ratchet teeth 41 so that as long as the operating lever is oscillated, the crank plates L12 will be rotated around the shaft 38 and the pawl 48 will engage the ratchet teeth 31 so as to transmit the said movement of the crank plates to the said shaft, but if the motion of the lever is suddenly stopped, the ratchet teeth will ride under the edge of the pawl without stopping the movement of the apparatus. In order to khold the pawl against the ratchet teeth so as to properly engage the same a spring e1 is attached Ato the end ofthe same and extends up and between the crank plates l2 at the opposite edges of the same, and rests loosely against fixed part.

At st in Fig. 1, I have shown the seat as having its sides extended and given a fanciful appearance which may be varied according to the tastes of the builder or the wishes of any particular customer. At L1G I have shown the seat as being made in imitation of a horse, the saddle i? being secured rigidly at the upper end of a standard 4S rigidly secured to and rising from the outer end of the supporting arm 12, and the body 49 of the animal being .pivotally secured to the saddle by means of brackets 50 secured to the body and suitable pivot pins inserted through the said brackets and the saddle, as will be readily understood. Straps 51 eX- tend forward and downward from the saddle and have their front ends adjustably attached to foot rests which are made to imitate stirrups and are supported b v pivoted arms carried by a hanger 5J: and a standard 2T depending from the supporting arm, this arrangement and construction permitting the stirrups or foot rest to be adjusted to vthe length of the childs leg. In this arraugmnent, the body of the horse eX- tends in front of the seat or saddle and performs the functions of the oscillating lever 34 and the link 3G is pivotally attached to the under side of the body, at or near the front end thereof, the cross bar or handle 35,

in this instance, being secured upon the head of the horse, approximately over the front end of the link, as clearly shown.

It will also be noted that the body of the horse is pivotally supported directly over the passenger-carrying arm and, consequently, is balanced directly under the passenger whose weight is carried by the saddle and not placed on the horse. The weight of the rear portion of the body of the horse, therefore, acts as a counterbalance so that the operation of the driving gearing will be smooth and easy.

It is believed that the operation and advantages of the apparatus will be readily understood from the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings. rlhe occupants of the seat 23 and the saddle 4,7 or either of them will transmit a rotary motion to' the crank 3T through the link 3G and the lever 34 or the body of the horse, and the said motion will be transmitted to the shaft 3S in the manner hereinbefore described so that the pinions 39 will be caused to ride upon and around the cogs of the head plate or master wheel 5, and the arms 12 will, consequently, be caused to swing horizontally around the central post or standard 3. Then it is desired to store the apparatus or to transportthe same the plug 21 ma)v be removed from the upper end of the post 3 so as to otter no obstruction to the lifting of the turn table consisting of the disks 13 and 19 with their connecting bars. The pins 18 are then disengaged from the said turn table and the inner ends of the supporting arms, after which the supporting arms with the attached seats may be removed from between the disks 13 and 19, the latches 22, of course, being first disengaged from the disk 13. The turn table may then be lifted from the post 3 so that the entire upper portion of the apparatus will then be dismantled. The separate passenger-carrying arms may then be placed to one side with the turn table and the pins 18 so as to be stored in the smallest possible space. The pin 10 is then disengaged from the supporting arm l and the flexible connection 8 consequently slackened so that the said supporting arms may be quickly folded into the p0- sition shown in Fig. 3, thus bringing the supporting structure into a very small comnass.

l It will be readily seen that the device can beset up or taken down in a very few minutes and that it may be used either indoors or outdoors and that it will operate with light power so that children may readily use the device without the constant attendance of older persons. The detachability of the passenger carrying arms permits any one of the arms to be removed so that the carrying arms which are not needed to carry passengers need not be kept in position` and, consequently, there will be no dead weight to be moved by the child or children using the apparatus. lVhile a single child may use the apparatus, it will probably be generally found that the use of the device by two passengers placed at opposite sides of the machine will cause the machine to run more easily as it will then be better balanced.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim is:

1. The combination of a base plate, pivots rising from the base plate at unequal distances apart, and supporting arms having their inner ends mounted on the said pivots.

2. A supporting structure for merry-gorounds comprising a central post, a base plate at. the lower' end of the said post, a master wheel secured on the said post, a plurality of supporting arms pivotally attached to the base plate and the said master wheel, and a detachable flexible connection between the said supporting arms.

3. In a merry-go-round, the combination of a support having a master wheel rigid therewith, a passenger-carrying arm rotatably mounted on the support above the master wheel, a seat at the outer end of the said arm, a shaft mounted on the under side of the said arm and having a pinion at its inner end meshing with the master wheel, a ratchet on the outer end of the said shaft, crank plates on the shaft at opposite sides of the ratchet a pawl mounted between said plates and engaging the said ratchet, a link connected to said plates, and means in front of the seat for reciprocating the said link.

el. In a merry-go-round, the combination of a support, a passenger-carrying arm rotatably mounted on the support, gearing between the support and the passenger-carrying arm comprising a shaft on the said arm, a link having a crank connection with the said shaft, a seat at the outer end of the passenger-carrying arm means extending in front of the seat for operating the said link, and a foot rest pivotally supported upon the passenger carrying arm adjacent to the seat.

5. The combination of a base plate, pivots rising from the base plate and arranged approximately upon the circumference of a circle and at unequal distances apart around this circumference; and supporting arms having their inner ends mounted on the said pivots.

In testimony that l claim the foregoing as my own, l have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES A. SHERRY.

lVitnesses CI-ms. L. JACKSON, S. lV. POWELL. 

